Pittsburgh Pirates: Review of the Gerrit Cole Trade
Nearly six years later, let's review the Pirates trading Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros
Third baseman Colin Moran
Moran was the second-biggest piece of this trade behind Musgrove. In his four seasons with the Pirates, he hit 10+ home runs a season but never exceptional. He was below-average defensively and was at best a league-average hitter his whole career in Pittsburgh.
Moran played 444 games with the Pirates and had 44 home runs with 211 RBIs. His .269 average and .331 on-base percentage were good, but the Pirates decided to move on from him in favor of Michael Chavis. In 2022, he played with the division-rival Cincinnati Reds but didn't play a full season with them, going up and down in the majors while disappointing with a .211 average.
In 2023, he signed with the Triple-A affiliate of the Mariners before opting out of his contract. Moran still has yet to find another team to sign with since July 10th.